Current Managers

Professor Niall English

Studies in Molecular and Electronic Modelling of Dye-sensitised and Semiconductor
Nanorod PV Cells
Atomistic and quantum simulation of thin metal oxide films
Computational Analysis of the Active Site of Rubisco and Synthetic Analogues

Modelling of Hydrogen Storage and Release

Research

My interests focus on molecular and electronic-level modelling of: (i) the effects
of electromagnetic and electric fields on (nano)materials and biological systems;
(ii) solar energy materials design; (iii) water, ice and clathrate hydrate simulation;
(iv) general applications of molecular simulation towards energy; and (v) computational
nanoscience and nanomedicine. In so doing, my group and I employ and develop both
classical and quantum molecular simulation techniques and codes.He heads the Materials,
Energy & Waters Simulations (MEWS) Group.
170 articles in refereed international journals.In 2013-14, he took over as SEC strand leader on Simulation & Modelling.
He heads a recent SFI-NSFC project into molecular simulation for solar-driven water splitting, continuing the SEC’s goals

Committee member of the Nanoscale Simulators in Ireland (NSI), member of the Atlantic
Centre for Atomistic Simulation (ACAM), and member of ICHEC’s Science Council of Irish
Centre for High End Computing (ICHEC).

Co-organiser of curriculum and development of the NSI molecular simulation training
initiative.

Before joining UCD in July 2009, he was a group leader and Project Manager at the
Laboratory of Photonics & Interfaces (LPI), EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland, where he
worked for over 23 years and intimately followed the invention and development of
dye sensitized solar cells from their inception. He has extensive collaborations
with several countries, notably EU countries, USA, India and Japan.

Besides his teaching and research activities, he directs and manages many research
projects funded by various national and international institutions.

Research

Catalysis, fuel cells, nanomaterials, solar cells, and photoelectrochemical water
splitting. Some of his inventions have been commercially applied and licensed to
industries.

He is an Associate Editor of the ASME Journal of Fuel Cell Science and Technology.

He is also an Editorial Board Member of IJoMS (International Journal of Materials
Science).

He has about ten patents to his credit. He was the international co-ordinator of
the ISCB biosensor development project funded jointly by the Swiss and Indian governments,
which has now reached the commercial prototype stage (licensed to industry).

His past industrial experience includes the scaling up of a laboratory invention
in catalysis to a large commercial petrochemical plant.

He has expertise in IP management and assisting industrial start-ups.

Previously a member of the IEA SOFC annexe panel for making standards for electrochemically
testing solid oxide fuel cells.

SSE Renewables (Airtricity)

Airtricity is No.1 for Renewable Energy in Ireland and supplies cheaper and greener
electricity to almost 100,000 homes and businesses in the Republic of Ireland and
Northern Ireland. At Airtricity, 79% of the company’s electricity is from renewable
sources ensuring its supply is the greenest in the market. Airtricity has been recognised
as the leading green energy supplier in Ireland, winning the 2008 Green Energy Award.
www.airtricity.com/ireland

Celtic Catalysts (No longer active)

Celtic Catalysts was co-founded in 2000 by Professor Declan Gilheany and Dr Brian
Kelly as a spin-out from UCD’s School of Chemistry and Chemical Biology. The company
currently employs 17 people and is headquartered in NovaUCD the Innovation and Technology
Transfer Centre at University College Dublin. Celtic Catalysts is an innovative
venture capital backed company that has developed ground-breaking chemistry that
enables our end-user clients in the pharmaceutical, biotech and fine chemicals industries
to realise significant manufacturing cost savings.